A proposal to build a public safety facility on a city-owned lot on Woodlawn Avenue was defeated at the Tuesday, Oct. 2 meeting of the Saratoga Springs City Council by a vote of 3-to-2.
Commissioner of Public Safety Ron Kim called for the vote on a proposal to have BBL Corporation construct a public safety building on the lot. The lot would also include a parking garage with approximately 300 parking spaces and subdivisions for private business. The facility would have been paid for over 30 years at $1.4 million a year through lease buyback financing.
Kim and Mayor Valerie Keehn voted for the project. Commissioner of Accounts John Franck, Commissioner of Finance Matthew McCabe and Commissioner of Public Works Thomas McTygue voted against.
The defeat prompted Kim to pull the rest of the agenda, pack up his paperwork and leave the City Council chambers.
I don’t need to spend any more time with this City Council, he said before walking out.
Many of the assembled residents applauded Kim as he left and followed him out. Some made remarks to the rest of the council.
`November’s coming fast,` said one resident.
The vote was preceded by McCabe’s presentation of the 2008 general fund budget. He estimated that a homeowner with a home assessed at $250,000 can expect to pay $200 more next year in taxes if the city goes forward with the proposed capital budget, including operating costs for a new public safety building and an increase in the general fund budget. In 2009, McCabe said, that same resident would pay $100 on top of the 2008 increase.
McCabe said there simply wasn’t enough revenue for the public safety proposal, but said the city could begin building a scaled-down facility in 2009 if it comes up with a revenue stream.
`Where would $1.4 million of revenue come from every year for the next 30 years?` he asked.
Kim argued that the city could set aside the funds from the video lottery terminal revenue it receives annually from the state. McCabe said that revenue was unstable, and that while the state has suitably estimated the amount of funding the city will receive, it continues to caution municipalities to forecast a lower amount. The decrease in revenue could come from competing casinos in other states or legislation, such as was attempted this year, to limit VLT revenue to cities that meet a poverty test.
`We’re going to have 10 percent of our budget dependent on gambling revenue,` he said. `That is not wise financial planning.`
McCabe added that even with the addition of 500 new VLTs, the racino in Saratoga Springs has not shown a comparable increase in revenue.
McCabe and McTygue proposed building a scaled-down facility directly behind City Hall, with walkways joining that and the existing courtroom facilities. McTygue also suggested the city put out a request for proposals again for lease buyback options at Woodlawn and the site on High Rock Avenue behind City Hall so that they could get a competitive bid.
Kim said he found it astounding that these proposals were being floated for the first time at the Oct. 2 meeting. He said his fellow council members were trying to delay the inevitable ` residents are going to have to take a financial hit if they want a new police and courtroom facility.
`Because when we do this,` Kim said, `and we will do this ` maybe I won’t be sitting here ` it’ll cost you double.“